Jerusalem: Israel’s Defense Ministry reported that their country on Thursday tested an advanced missile defense system to protect against long-range ballistic missile attacks. Defense Minister Benny Gantz stated that the successful testing of the Aero-2 Interceptor is part of Israel’s technical effort to “ensure that we are always one step ahead of our enemies.”
He said the test was carried out in collaboration with the US Missile Defense Agency on Wednesday night. The Aero-2 is part of a multi-level system developed by Israel to protect short and medium-range rockets fired from Gaza and Lebanon. It includes ‘Iron Dome’, ‘David’s Sling’ and ‘Arrow-3’ system which is capable of combating the threat from outside the atmosphere. Israel and the United States jointly tested the Arrow-3 last year in Alaska. The system has been developed jointly by Israel Aerospace Industries and US carrier Boeing and has been in operation since January 2017.
Aero-2 has been in use for much longer and has been deployed in recent years to counter Syrian missiles. Israel’s multi-level air security system has been developed keeping in mind future battles in which all parts of the country are believed to be attacked with missiles. The Aero rocket system has been developed to destroy long-range missiles. These include the firing of missiles coming from outside the atmosphere. Moshe Patel, head of the missile defense organization in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, said Iran is a natural threat but Aero can also counter missiles coming from Iraq, Syria or elsewhere.
